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David Price
David Taylor Price (born August 26 1985 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee) is an American left-handed starting pitcher in the Boston Red Sox. The Rays selected him first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Early life Price has been playing baseball since early childhood. He grew up as an Atlanta Braves fan and idolized outfielder David Justice. As a teenager, he was a stand out on the Blackman High School baseball and basketball teams. In his high school career he compiled a 0.43 ERA and 151 strikeouts. He was the recipient of many awards including the Rutherford County MVP Pitcher (2003 and 2004), the Co-District 7AAA Pitcher of the Year his senior season, and the Rutherford County Male Athlete of the Year in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He played in the 2004 High School All-America Game in Albuquerque, NM. College career Though drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school, Price was not signed, and instead chose to attend Vanderbilt University on an academic scholarship, and pitched for the baseball team for three seasons. In his freshman season in 2005, Price was honored as a Freshman All-American by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. That year he went 2-4 with a 2.86 ERA in 19 games, compiling 92 strikeouts in 69.1 innings pitched. In 2006, as a sophomore, Price posted a 9-5 record with a 4.16 ERA in 110 1/3 innings pitched. He set a school single-season record in strikeouts with 155 while walking only 43 batters. Over a span of six starts early in the season he recorded 10 or more strikeouts each game, including a 17 strikeout performance in a game against Arkansas. That year he was one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award and a semifinalist for the Roger Clemens Award. He was also named to the third-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, first-team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association and second-team All-SEC by the coaches in that conference. As a junior he tallied an 11-1 record with a 2.63 ERA. He was the nation's top strikeout pitcher, striking out 194 batters over 133 1/3 innings, breaking his own school record. Price won several major national awards,including college baseball's top honor, the Dick Howser Trophy. United States National Team In the summer of 2005, Price pitched for the United States National Team. He went 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in five games, tallying 39 strikeouts and 13 walks over 28 2/3 innings. On August 2, 2005, he pitched a complete game shutout over Nicaragua, only allowing 5 hits. In the summer of 2006, Price helped the United States take home the gold medal in the World University Championships held in Cuba. In eight starts for the U.S., Price was 5-1 with a 0.20 ERA. Professional career He signed his first professional contract on August 15, 2007. According to The Tampa Tribune, the six-year contract was worth $8.5 million, including a $5.6 million signing bonus. After the contract was approved by Major League Baseball, he was added to the Rays' 40-man roster before being optioned to the minor leagues to begin his career. According to Baseball America, Price’s bonus is the second-largest in draft history, behind only the $6.1 million Justin Upton received from the Arizona Diamondbacks as the top overall pick in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. The guaranteed value is the third-highest in draft history, trailing only Mark Prior ($10.5 million, Cubs) and Mark Teixeira ($9.5 million, Rangers) from the 2001 draft. He made his spring training debut against the New York Yankees, hitting the first batter and striking out the next three in one inning of work. His fastball averaged 98 mph. Price was first assigned to pitch for the Rays Single-A Vero Beach affiliate. He started 6 games for the Vero Beach Devil Rays, compiling a record of 4-0. He had an ERA of 1.82 with 37 strikeouts in 34.2 innings pitched. In only his second start in Single-A Vero Beach, Price pitched against Pedro Martínez. After the game Pedro said of Price, "That kid did a hell of a job of throwing first-pitch strikes and pounding the strike zone and jamming hitters. I was watching that. He did it like a big leaguer. He had such a command. Right there, I'm challenging you. I'm going to do what I gotta do without any fear. That's the kind of talent you love to see." After moving up through the Rays' minor league system to the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits in July, Price was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on August 9, 2008. After compiling an 11-0 combined record at Single-A and Double-AA, Price received his his first professional loss in his first start at Triple-A Durham. Scouting report Price throws a fastball that maintains 90-94 mph and peaks at 97 mph with good tailing action from right-handed batters. His best pitch, however, is a slider that averages 87 mph with a very late and sharp break. He also possesses a high quality change-up. He is highly athletic and powerful. However, Price is noted for having some command problems inside the strike zone, and tends to point his front leg toward home plate. He also occasionally drops his arm angle when throwing his change-up, which has led to some home runs during his career. College statistics Selected awards and honors *2007 Roger Clemens Award Winner[http://vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/071207aac.html Price Takes Fourth Roger Clemens Award Watch New 2007 Highlight Video :: Junior ace completes sweep of top collegiate baseball awards] *2007 Golden Spikes Award Winner *2007 Dick Howser Trophy Winner *2007 Baseball America College Player of the Year *2007 American Baseball Coaches Association National Player of the Year *2007 American Baseball Coaches Association First Team All American *2007 Brooks Wallace Award Winner *2007 Baseball America College All-America First Team *2007 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year *2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association First Team All-American *2007 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District Player of the Year *2007 SEC Male Athlete of the Year *2007 SEC Pitcher of the Year *2007 First Team All-SEC *2006 Golden Spikes Award Finalist *2006 Baseball America Summer Player of the Year References See also *Vanderbilt University *Vanderbilt Commodores *Tim Corbin *Pedro Alvarez *Casey Weathers External links *David Price Central *David Price Bio at VUCommodores.com *The Book on David Price from ScoutingBook.com |after=Tim Beckham}} Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:African American baseball players Category:People from Rutherford County, Tennessee Category:Vanderbilt Commodores players Category:MLB 1st overall draft picks Category:Tampa Bay Rays first round picks Category:Durham Bulls players Category:Players Category:Tampa Bay Rays draft picks Category:Tampa Bay Rays players Category:Detroit Tigers players Category:Toronto Blue Jays players Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:American League All-Stars Category:Major League Baseball All-Stars Category:Cy Young Award winners Category:American League strikeout champions Category:Golden Spikes Award winners